Love and Forgiveness
by TopsyTurvyTasha
Summary: How would you feel if the last thing you shared with them was angry words? Three-shot, with an alternate ending now uploaded. Established Jess/Becker.
1. Chapter 1

**This will be my first real chaptered story, ever. It'll only be short, maybe 5 chapters at most?**

**I know this chapter is short, but I felt it adequetely set up the scene I wanted to set.**

**Hope you guys enjoy it, and tell me what you think! :)

* * *

**

There was something different about the ARC today Lester noticed as he entered his office. An air of frostiness and tension seemed to be seeping through the main room, and it appeared to be radiating from the young lady in the centre of the room.

Jess was absolutely furious. How dare he. She was sat at the ADD, pulling herself from keyboard to keyboard on her chair, banging the keys harder then was completely necessary as she worked, earning her glares from a couple of the surrounding tech-heads.

As she rolled her chair back to the central keyboard Jess felt a hand on the back of her chair and a familiar voice in her ear,

"Jess – I" Becker began.

Jess twisted her chair sharply, forcing Becker to release his grip on her chair, before twisting again and resuming her work.

"Jess, I'm sorry!"

Jess felt an insulting retort rushing from her brain to her tongue before the anomaly alarm stopped her from having to use it.

As Jess shouted the co-ordinates of the anomaly, Matt, Connor and Abby bounded over to her glancing at the computer screen before grabbing their black boxes from the charger unit next to her and headed for the car park. Becker however, remained exactly where he was. Reaching around her to grab his box, he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, only to be greeted by thin air as she turned her head away. Becker stood up and sighed,

"Jess…"

"Don't', just don't," Jess cut across him, her tone as icy as he'd ever heard it "the others are waiting, just go."

Lester frowned as he observed the exchange from his office, although he couldn't hear what they were saying it was obvious Miss Parker was much less than pleased with the Captain. She was acting very much the opposite of her usual bubbly fun self and fawning over the Captain at every given moment, instead appearing upset and expressed the lowest level of interest in what the uniformed man had to say that Lester had ever witnessed from her.

Lester watched the pair of them as he noticed through the glass Becker's shoulders finally slumped in what was presumably defeat and he turned on his heel, jogging after the rest of the team, stopping only to look back at Jess and shout something which Lester couldn't make out.

Jess tentatively spun her chair round in the direction the military man had been standing and upon seeing he was no longer there, buried her face in her hands. Lester could only watch in amusement as she turned back to her computers, pulled herself towards her desk, threw her pen down and let her head hit the desk with quite some force.

"Amazing," Lester muttered to himself "we study rips in time and prehistoric bloody creatures and those two still find the time to have a lovers tiff."


	2. Chapter 2

**This is only a short chapter, but I felt it says what I wanted it to say and making it any longer would be silly.**

**This story will now only have 3 chapters, with a possible fourth chapter in the shape of an alternate ending, if enough people want me to write it.**

**Also, if I get enough reviews tonight, I may upload the final chapter/true ending later on tonight.**

**I'd love to know what you guys think of this, I've never written a multi chapter angst before.**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Becker climbed into the back of the SUV, sitting himself besides Connor, EMD in hand. He lightly touched his finger to his ear as he spoke.

"Jess, any sign of a creature incursion?"

"Well, if you'd give me a chance to tap into the CCTV feed I could tell you, Captain." Becker winced at the way she spoke his rank. Normally he loved it when she called him that, especially considering the usual situation of when she'd call him Captain. This time however there was no mistaking Jess' upset, and it was his fault. Sighing, Becker let his head hit the barrel of his rifle which was held upright in his lap.

It was a simple enough thing to say, so why hadn't he been able to say it? It's not like it wasn't true. He was so stupid. He and Jess had been curled up on her sofa, watching some sort of Disney movie, his arm around her shoulders while she leant her head on his chest. Becker loved those moments more than anything; the simple moments with Jess was when he felt truly content. Then he had to go and mess it up didn't he, of course he did, he always messed everything up, stupid.

When Jess had looked up at him with those wonderful doe eyes of hers, when she'd told him she loved him and he'd wanted to say it back, dear god he wanted to say it back. But the words had caught in his throat, scratching at the inside, god he was so stupid. It was true, he loved her so much, so why the hell couldn't he say it back?

Instead like the scared little boy he was, he'd stood up, mumbling excuses and left her there. Jesus, he was so STUPID. The first time in, well, forever he'd been truly happy and he'd gone and fucked it up, because he was scared.

Him, Becker, scared.

All of these thoughts swirled around Becker's head as the rest of the team gave him odd looks, shocked at Jess' tone towards him.

"Becker mate, you alright?" Connor queried, his voice laced with concern.

"No Connor, I am not bloody alright, now please don't ask me about it." He sighed, as the other man nodded curtly. "I'm sorry Conn, just yeah, 'nother time?" He finished lamely.

"S'alright mate, I understand."

At least one of them did Becker thought to himself.

Jesus, that woman would be the death of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I did promise, so here's the final chapter.**

**I would love to know what you guys think.**

* * *

"JESS, help us, they're fucking everywhere!" Matt cried down his earpiece. "Future Predators, at least 10 of them, they can see us Jess, THEY CAN FUCKING SEE US!"

Jess whimpered as she typed faster, dispatching every set of back-up available to the co-ordinates of the anomaly, as she listened to the screams of her friends.

"Connor, Lock it! They just keep coming!" She heard Abby scream.

Then silence fell. The comms system had failed.

The screams had attracted the attention of everyone in the ARC. Lester and more or less the entire research department stood behind Jess and the ADD.

Minutes passed and there was nothing. Just silence.

"Jess," Matt's broken voice crackled over the comms, earning relieved gasps from the crowd behind the computer. "Alert the medics, oh god, oh shit no please no, Jess, we're here open the main doors, shit hurry up!"

Jess flicked the switch before spinning her chair to face the main doors to the facility, and as the huge metal doors opened she swore she felt the scream catch in her throat as Matt and Connor stumbled through, supporting something between them. It was Becker. Oh god, it was Becker. It was a barely awake Becker, with three horrifically deep wounds across his torso, stretching from his shoulder to his hip.

Leaping from her chair Jess sprinted towards the medical wing to see Becker being placed on the bed by a sobbing Connor.

He was so pale, oh god he was so pale, the crimson spread of his blood creating a horrific contrast.

Jess rushed to his side as the medics rushed to the other with a trauma kit.

Becker coughed suddenly, sending blood everywhere before whispering

"Jess, where's Jess?" The fear was so evident in his voice.

"I'm here darlin', I'm here." It was only when she spoke that Jess became aware she was crying.

Becker's eyes widened as he mumbled "Don't wanna die."

"Shut up, don't be stupid, you're not gonna die, it's just a scratch, or a bite, nothing major, remember?" Jess laughed her voice cracking and dying in her throat.

"Jess." A cough, more blood.

"No shhh." Jess whispered back, stroking his hair from his face.

Becker reached up, with trembling fingers, to touch her cheek, smearing blood all over her, but she didn't care.

"Love you, so much." He mumbled as her tears mixed with his blood.

She reached up to hold his hand against her face as she whispered back

"I love you too, I love you too."

Becker smiled back weakly before dropping his arm back down to his side, before taking in a shuddering breath.

Then his eyes glazed over.

The machines droned out, one long, final continuous sound.

The medics were shouting and the machines were beeping and everybody was panicking.

But nothing was as loud as Jess' scream as it ripped through her throat.

Everyone watched as Abby rushed forwards, grabbing Jess around the waist, trying to pull her backwards.

It was that image that would stay with the team forever.

All the things they'd seen over the years, people devoured by raptors, Christine Johnson reaching through the anomaly screaming for help, Oliver Leek being mauled limb from limb by Future Predators.

A young couple so cruelly ripped apart because of something that should have been physically impossible. There hadn't been enough time for apologies and enough chances to say I love you and dancing in the rain and weddings and children.

It all paled away as the image of Jess at this moment burned itself onto their memories.

Collapsing in her friend's arms, a terrible sound erupted from Jess as she screamed, cried and howled Becker's name, a sound so full of anguish and pain and horror and loss and the tragedy of knowing he'd never reply to her pleas for him to wake up. It was the image of a young girl as she mourned her fallen lover snatched from her too soon.

And that was something none of them would truly ever forget.

* * *

**Oh yes, I went there.**


	4. Alternate Ending

**Here it is, as promised. The alternate ending. I'd love to know what you guys think of it and which ending you prefer. :)**

**

* * *

**

"Jess, we need back-up NOW," Becker's voice cut through on the comms "The future predators, there's so many of them Jess, oh god, THEY CAN SEE US, WHY CAN THEY SEE US?"

Jess whimpered as she dispatched all available units, she knew plenty about the future predators to know that this was bad; the fear in her boyfriend's voice re-iterated that fact.

The sound of machine gunfire echoed throughout the ARC, mingling with the screams of her colleagues, two of which Jess recognised as Connor and Abby's, Abby screaming at Connor to lock the anomaly, Connor crying at her to watch out. As selfish as she knew it was, Jess was listening that much harder to Becker's frequency. Hard enough to hear the click of the magazine as it ran empty, hard enough to hear Matt bellow the soldier's name, hard enough to head the terrifying screech of the creature.

Then silence. The comms system had failed.

A terrifying frost fell over Jess, and the crowd of people standing behind her and the computer. The screams had attracted the attention of Lester and most of the research team who were now stood so still they might as well have been stone.

The silence dragged on for an eternity. Jess tapped at the computer furiously, a heavy weight sitting on her chest as the horror of the situation dawned on her. Becker had no bullets, they were being attacked, she couldn't see them and she couldn't hear them. Jess felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as the fear consumed her.

Suddenly Matt's voice crackled over the comms, breathless and scared. There were gasps of relief from the crowd around the computer, but quickly diminished as he spoke.

"Jess, alert medical, we're on our way, oh god, HE WON'T STOP BLEEDING, oh god Connor, the towel, give me the towel."

Jess pulled herself the right, typing viciously at the computer before finally flicking the switch to open the main door. Spinning her chair around and leaping out of it, Jess pushed her way through the crowd and froze. It was strange, her brain registered the fact Matt and Connor were crying, sobbing in Connor's case, before she noticed anything else. Maybe it was her because she'd never seen them cry before, or maybe it was her body stopping her from going into shock because of how fucked up the situation truly was.

In between the two men was Becker - his arms slung over their shoulders, his feet dragged along the floor and his head lolling like some sort of twisted marionette. Stumbling slightly, they half carried, half dragged him towards the medical wing.

Running after them, Jess tried not to gag as she noticed the large trail of crimson her boyfriends was leaving on the tiled floors.

As she reached the doors Jess saw Becker being laid on the bed before a team of medics surrounded him, shouting orders at one another.

Then she heard him.

"Jess, where's Jess?" The raspy voice choked out.

Before she was even aware of it Jess was at his side. Part of her wished she hadn't stepped forward now that she could see the extent of his injuries. Three huge gashes running from his collarbone to his hip were gushing out blood faster than Jess cared to imagine.

"I'm here Hil, I'm here." Jess crooned her voice cracking. When did she start crying?

"Something, need, tell you." Becker mumbled, his hands searching for hers, to which she gladly obliged, lacing her fingers with his.

"No, shhh, just save your energy, okay baby, it'll be okay, it'll be okay, shhh." She whispered back, stroking his hair.

"Love you, so much," He was crying now. "Plans, so many plans, ring in my locker." Jess' eyes widened.

Everyone was crying now, a cacophony of sobbing and beeping and shouting.

A nurse pulled Jess away from the bed said something about the doctors needed the space to their work.

Everything sounded dull, like when you get water in your ears, everything was so loud but Jess couldn't hear anything, it was just white noise as she watched as Becker convulsed into coughs, splattering blood over his pale face.

Then came the droning, that one long sound, echoing across the room.

Jess heard her own wail before she became aware she'd let it out as she felt a sharp tug at her midriff as the nurse grabbed her, stopping her rushing back to Becker's side.

"Give me the needle, there's no time! Goddamn it Captain, I'm not having another fucking member of this fucking goddamn team die, not again." One of the doctors shouted, pushing the needle firmly into the soldier's chest, releasing the adrenaline into his system.

Then everything stopped. The room went quiet, Jess' choked sobs perforating the silence.

Then there was a beep. Then there was another, and another. Then came the shuddering gasp of the man on the bed as his body finally accepted the drug.

Jess was frozen, a wonderful display of human fear at its worst. The nurse's grip on her was so tight now she may as well have been trying to split the young girl in two.

"Get him prepped for surgery, we need to close these wounds." The doctor spoke, relief flooding his voice.

Three of the medics moved away from the bed, enabling Jess to break free of the nurse's iron grip.

Pressing her lips to Becker's blood smeared ones, Jess whispered furiously,

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, don't you dare, or I'll fucking kill you myself," Fresh sobs wracked her body. "I love you too Hil, oh god I love you too."

Becker smiled weakly, squeezing her hand as best he could.

Resting her forehead on his as the medics carried on their work Jess sighed before murmuring softly,

"So, is my ring platinum or gold?"


End file.
